


Unexpected

by Starbooks13



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (2012)
Genre: 5+1 Things, Coulson is Bruce's Chaperone, Darcy is a Hipster, F/M, Fluff, Frigga is the Universe's Greatest Mom, Humor, Implied Sexual Content, Loki/Natasha is my Crack Ship of Choice, Lots of Steve/Peggy Feels, No Seriously I Am Addicted, Sensuality, Tags Are Fun :), Tiny bits of Angst, Tony Remembers Things, Valentine's Day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-07
Updated: 2013-02-07
Packaged: 2017-11-28 12:09:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 5,737
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/674252
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Starbooks13/pseuds/Starbooks13
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>5 Avengers who surprised their significant other on Valentine's Day, plus 1 Avenger who got surprised.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Tony/Pepper

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this last year for a Valentine's Day prompt. Enjoy! :)

                Pepper’s phone rang at 8 am, blasting _I-am-Iron-Man_ right when she had just gotten settled at her desk.   She was never going to let Tony personalize her ringtones ever again. She sighed, touched her headset, and turned the page on the contract she was reviewing one last time before her first meeting of the day.  “I didn’t think you were awake this early in the morning.  Isn’t it what, noon in New York?”

                “Love you too, Potts,” Tony replied drolly, although he still sounded far too excited for her liking. 

                She sighed again.  “Tony, I’m busy.  Unless you did something that is going to send our stock plummeting into the ground, we can talk later.  I have a meeting in a half-hour.”

                “Now, see, that’s what I’m calling about.  Your meeting’s kind of cancelled.  Actually, your whole day is cancelled.”

                Pepper frowned.  “Tony, what-“

                “ _Trust me_ , Pep.  It’s a good thing. I promise.”  Before she could reply, he hung up.

                She sighed, a small smile coming over her face.  She knew that tone—it was the same tone he’d used when he told her that he knew in his heart that using the suit to fix his mistakes was right.  It was also the same voice he’d used when he told her he loved her, three months after the Expo disaster.  It was the one tone of voice that let her know Tony was being completely, utterly sincere. 

                And since she trusted him—since she loved him—she put away the contract and started gathering her things.  A quick check with her assistant revealed that her schedule had indeed been cleared for the day—courtesy of Mr. Stark.  She shook her head and headed out to meet Happy.  What was Tony up to this time?

                One 5-hour flight to New York later, Pepper exited one of Stark Industries’ private jets dressed in the same beautiful blue evening gown she’d worn the night she first danced with Tony.  She’d found it lying on top in the suitcase Happy had produced from the trunk—packed by her assistant with JARVIS’ assistance, he’d assured her.  A note pinned to the dress, written in Tony’s indecipherable handwriting, had requested she wear it.  Hugging her coat around herself, Pepper smiled when she saw the sleek, sophisticated Audi parked on the runway, a certain genius billionaire playboy philanthropist standing next to it with a big smile on his face.  “Hey, Pep.”

                She walked over to him, unable to keep from smiling back.  “Tony, what’s all this about?”

                He frowned.  “You mean you don’t know?”

                Pepper shook her head.  “No, I don’t.” 

                Tony started laughing.  Pepper just watched her former boss turned boyfriend, completely confused. 

                When he finally caught his breath, Tony looked at her before tenderly cupping her face in his hands and kissing her.  She put her arms around his neck and kissed him back, still confused, but very happy.  It had been so long since they’d last seen each other face-to-face; Tony spent most of his time on the East Coast now with the Avengers, working out of Stark Tower, while Pepper held down the fort at the main offices in L.A. 

                When they finally had to break for air, Tony leaned his forehead against hers and grinned.  “Happy Valentine’s Day, Pepper.”

                Pepper frowned.  It couldn’t be Valentine’s Day, today was the-

                Oh.  Today was the fourteenth.  It _was_ Valentine’s Day.  She’d forgotten.

  And Tony had remembered.  “Oh my God, the world’s about to end,” she muttered. 

                He laughed, catching her meaning.  “C’mon, beautiful—we’ve got a big night ahead of us.”

                He pulled back and took her hand before leading her around to the car.  He opened the door for her, and Pepper looked up at him with a wry grin as she slid inside.  “Just promise me you didn’t do anything too crazy.”

                As it turned out, he’d rented out her favorite restaurant in New York for the entire evening so it could be just the two of them, and hired a live band so they could dance.  And he’d bought her about a dozen new pairs of shoes, every single one of which fit perfectly.  And he’d had his personal quarters at Stark Tower decorated in red, pink, and white, with red sheets and heart-shaped pillows on the bed.

                So, for Tony, not too crazy at all.


	2. Bruce/Betty

                Betty stared down at the test in front of her, frowning as she made red marks across the page.  Seriously, did these kids even _study_ for her test?  She hadn’t seen such a slew of bad grades since before Bruce left.

                _Bruce_.  At the thought of him, she lost all will to grade.  Setting aside her pen and the pile of tests, she collapsed forward on her desk, burying her head in her arms.  Damnit, she had sworn she wouldn’t think about him today.  It would just make things too painful.  

                It was bad enough she and Leonard had broken up on this day as well, the first one after Bruce re-entered her life.  They had tried to make it work, but they both knew her heart would always be Bruce’s before it belonged to anyone else.   So here she was, sitting in her office at 5 pm on Valentine’s Day, alone, grading tests.  

                She felt like screaming.  She ended up crying instead, and she was so wrapped up in longing for happier times that she almost missed the sound of the door opening.  

                Almost.  She looked up, startled, wondering who would be looking for her at this hour.  It could be Leonard—even though they weren’t a couple anymore, they were still good friends.  But at this moment, she didn’t want it to be him.  There was only one person she wanted to see right now, and he was in New York.

                Except for the fact that one Dr. Bruce Banner was currently standing in the doorway of her office, a concerned look on his face and one Agent Phil Coulson hovering at his back.  “Betty?”

                His voice saying her name reverberated through her, breaking through her initial reaction of shocked denial that he was actually _here._ “Bruce?” she whispered, still not quite believing her eyes.

                A shy grin, one she remembered all-too-well, spread over his face.  “Yeah.  It’s me.  I’m here.”

                Betty was up and around her desk before she could even register what she was doing.  She flung herself into his arms, holding him tightly, never wanting to let him go.  She shut her eyes and just breathed him in; he smelled like herbal tea instead of coffee now, but the familiar odors of lab chemicals and cheap ink still clung to his skin.  She pulled back and looked at him.  He was smiling, and on the verge of tears himself.  

“You’re here,” she finally managed to say.  “How are you _here_?”

                Bruce glanced over his shoulder at Agent Coulson, who was stoically attempting to look like he was ignoring them, when Betty had no doubt he was riveted to their every word.  He glanced back at her with a small shrug, as if to apologize for the SHIELD agent’s presence.  “It’s Valentine’s Day.  I wanted to spend it with you.”  His grin widened.  “And when the other Avengers found out, they sort of ganged up on Fury and demanded he let me go.  Coulson’s presence was the compromise.”  His smile dimmed a little, and he appeared apologetic.  “As was a time limit.  I’ve only got a few hours before the flight back to New York.”

                Betty shook her head fiercely.  “I don’t care.  I’m just happy you’re here now.”  She reached up to gently touch his face, tracing the line of his jaw.  “I missed you so much,” she whispered.

                Carefully—very, very carefully—she drew his face down to hers and pressed her lips against his.  Bruce sighed happily before kissing her back, and after a few heartbeats Betty risked deepening the kiss.  They kissed and kissed and kissed, and Betty thought she had died and gone to heaven.  

                Of course, Agent Coulson’s rather pointed cough reminded her that he was still standing right behind Bruce, at which point she broke off the kiss with a sheepish grin.  Bruce laughed and she almost kissed him again; she’d missed his laugh more than she’d realized.  But, since Coulson was staring at them and they were on a schedule, she merely turned to go grab her purse from her desk.  She turned back to Bruce with a flirtatious smile.  “So where to, Dr. Banner?”

                Bruce bowed gallantly and offered her his arm.  “I thought we would perhaps go out for dinner and a movie, if that’s alright with you, Dr. Ross.” He glanced briefly at Coulson before adding, “so long as the movie is approved, that is.”

                Betty took his arm and squeezed it.  “That’s just perfect.”  And so it was.


	3. Thor/Jane

                By the time Jane had showered and changed for dinner, the mansion was finally quiet.  Tony was at the airport meeting Pepper; Bruce was in Virginia to visit his girlfriend; Clint was on his date with Darcy; Steve and Natasha were both out of the country, Steve in England and Natasha only God—gods—Fury knows where.  Which meant she and Thor had the mansion to themselves.  Everything was going just like she’d planned.

                Except dinner.  She had no idea what they were eating.  She’d attempted to question JARVIS, who had replied that he had been ordered not to tell her.  Thor apparently wanted it to be a surprise.  And no matter how much she loved him—enough to alter the laws of physics—his choices in food terrified her sometimes.

                Her worrying was interrupted by a loud pounding—or what Thor would consider a polite, gentle knock.  She quickly put the finishing touches on her makeup before opening the door.  Her stomach started doing flip-flops when she saw Thor standing there, looking positively dashing in a brand-new tux, courtesy of Tony.  He bowed to her, took her hand, and kissed it—a gesture which still made her giggle like a teenager off to her first prom.  “My lady Jane.” He smiled at her, that bright, beautiful smile which always took her breath away, his blue eyes sparkling with happy anticipation.  “You look even lovelier than usual this fine eve.”

                Jane blushed.  “Thanks.  You look better than usual too.”

                He proffered his arm.  “Shall we adjourn to the dining hall?”

                She blinked.  “Tony’s letting us use the dining room?”  Well, technically “hall” was the better word for it.  The mansion’s dining room was huge, although according to Thor it was still “far too small to hold a proper feast.”  It was also brimming with expensive furniture and decorations, which was why the occupants of the house—herself and the six Avengers, at least on a regular basis—generally ate in the kitchen.

                He nodded.  She smiled and took his arm.  “Well, then let us adjourn.”

                Whatever Jane had expected to see when she walked into the dining room, the veritable feast set out on the table—a mixture of her favorite foods and some strange, gourmet-looking dishes she was half-sure were Asgardian—was not it.  Neither were the china plates, sparkling silverware, and delicate wine glasses that she’d once glimpsed tucked away in a cupboard somewhere.  Or the fancy silver candlesticks that she’d seen gathering dust in the attic the one time she and Thor had gone exploring.  Or the soothingly romantic mood music that JARVIS started piping in the minute they walked through the door.

                She turned to him.  “Thor, what is all this?”

                Now it was his turn to blush—which was highly unusual for Thor. “I, ah, asked the Lady Pepper what a traditional Valentine’s Day dinner should be like.  She had Anthony assist me in setting everything up, and, well, she suggested that we eat something we would both like.  So I questioned Dr. Selvig and Lady Darcy as to your favorite foods, and I made them—along with some dishes from Asgard that I have always enjoyed,” he quickly added.

                Jane’s jaw dropped.  “You mean, you…cooked?”

                Thor’s blush deepened.  “Yes, well, I had assistance from Clinton and the Son of Coul.  And JARVIS, of course. And…” he looked incredibly sheepish.  “And my mother.”

                Jane stared at him, her brain slowly processing the information.  “Your mother.  Came all the way from Asgard.  To help you cook me dinner.  For Valentine’s Day.  A holiday that you didn’t even know existed until you came here.”

His face fell a little.  “Are you displeased?  I thought that you would-“

                She cut him off as quickly as she could by jumping up, throwing her arms around his neck, and kissing him firmly on the mouth.  He instinctively caught her around the waist so she wouldn’t fall and made a little noise of surprise before kissing her back fiercely.  

Not one of her previous boyfriends had ever done anything like this for her.  And she knew how much Thor hated cooking.  Not to mention how much trouble he must have gone through to get his mother’s help.  Heck, the fact that he’d even involved his mother, and that she’d been willing to help, was something special.

                Jane finally had to break for air, and Thor gently lowered her back to the ground, staring at her in confusion.  She smiled at him, feeling as though she was on Cloud 9.  “Thank you.  You have no idea how much this means to me.” 

                A delighted grin spread across Thor’s face.  “Then what are we still standing here for?” he boomed, sweeping her up in his arms and carrying her towards the other end of the table, where two chairs were set up.  “Let us feast and be merry!”

                Jane laughed as he deposited her in her chair.  She reached up to pull him down for another kiss.  “I love you.”

                Thor smiled down at her.  “I love you as well.  But I must say, if we do not feast soon, I fear the evening will be gone before we know it.”  His voice lowered slightly, making Jane shiver.  “And while I hope you enjoy the meal, I personally cannot wait for what comes after.”

                Jane immediately turned and started loading her plate with food, making Thor laugh as he went to sit down.  Soon, they were both laughing as they stuffed their faces with some of the best food Jane had ever eaten.

                This hadn’t been what she was expecting, but like everything about her relationship with Thor, the unexpected was often the best.


	4. Clint/Darcy

                Darcy was not the kind of girl who was big on tradition.  Heck, she hadn’t even wanted to celebrate Valentine’s Day.  But Clint had begged her to let him take her out, and because she was a nice, considerate girlfriend—and because she could not resist Clint’s puppy-dog eyes, especially when done over the shoulder so that she could get a very nice view of his ass—she agreed.   

                Besides, her relationship with Clint so far had been anything but “traditional.”  Most couples didn’t have their first kiss while in the middle of a Frost Giant attack.  Or have sex for the first time trapped in a containment unit slowly sinking to the bottom of the Hudson River.  Or have their first actual date (on the top floor of the Empire State Building, thank you Tony) interrupted by a psychopathic assassin with a score to settle.

                So when she opened her door to find Clint standing there, wearing black slacks, a black suit jacket, and a navy dress shirt, holding a bouquet of orchids (her favorite flower) and a box of marshmallow-filled chocolates (also her favorites), she was considerably surprised by just how…normal he looked.  “What the hell, Barton?” she blurted.

                He quirked an eyebrow at her.  “Happy Valentine’s Day to you too, Darce.  Can I come in, or are you just going to let me stand out here until my arms fall off? ”

                She stood back to let him into her apartment.  “Sorry.  Just never pegged you for a flowers-and-chocolates kind of guy.”

                Clint smirked as he set the gifts down on her kitchen counter.  “I thought you liked it when I was unpredictable.”

                “Yeah, but this,” she waved a hand in his direction.  “This is the definition of predictable.  At least for Valentine’s Day.”  She wrinkled her nose.  “Especially since I know you’re taking me to some super-expensive restaurant ‘cause you told me to really dress up.”

                Clint stopped and took a good look at her before giving a low whistle.  “Have I mentioned to you before that you clean up good?  Because damn, babe.”

                Now it was Darcy’s turn to smirk as she stuck out her chest, Clint’s eyes immediately darting down at the movement.  She silently thanked Natasha for taking her emergency clothes shopping after Clint talked her into a fancy date.  The knee-length, navy blue satin dress was comfortable, but tight in all the right places to show off her, ahem, assets.  “Like what you see, soldier?”

                Clint’s eyes went back to her face.  “You have no idea,” he said, his voice a little lower and a lot huskier.  

                Damn if he didn’t massively turn her on every time he did that.  “You know,” she said, trying to match his tone.  “We could just stay here all night.”

                Clint walked over to her, eyes flicking up and down her body.  “We could.”  But then he flashed her that infuriatingly smug grin of his, the one he brought out every time he was determined to be an ass.  “But we have reservations, and since I went through the trouble of blackmailing the owner to get us in tonight, we’re going to dinner even if I have to knock you out and carry you in over my shoulder.”

                Darcy groaned.  “Seriously, Clint?”

                His expression softened.  “Darce, please.  This is our first Valentine’s Day together.  I just want it to be special.”

                Damnit.  He was giving her the puppy-dog eyes again.  She sighed and leaned over to kiss him sweetly on the lips.  “Okay.  If it means that much to you, I promise I’ll behave.  So long as you make it up to me later.”

                Clint grinned like a kid in a candy store.  “Oh, trust me, babe.  That is definitely on my to-do-list for tonight.”

                Darcy grinned back before grabbing her purse.  “Then lead the way, Agent Barton.”

                And in the end, the date was actually pretty cool.  The restaurant was amazing—despite the meal costing twice as much as her monthly rent.  Plus, just because they were on a fancy date didn’t mean they stopped being themselves.  They discussed politics, TV shows they loved, and the new arrows R&D were working on for him.  They caught each other up on SHIELD and Avenger-related gossip, and Darcy almost snorted wine out of her nose when she heard about Tony’s latest prank on Steve.  

                But then Clint Barton epically reminded her why she started dating him in the first place.  After dessert, he pulled out a gift from his pocket and handed it to her across the table.  “Happy Valentine’s Day, Darcy.”

                She almost fell out of her chair in shock when she opened it.  It was a brand-new, SHILED-issue Taser—meaning it had three times the electrical charge of a regular Taser and recharged itself instantly.  She looked up at Clint, mouth slightly agape.  When she could finally speak, the first thing that came out of her mouth was, “I want to have sex with you so bad right now.”

                She promptly dissolved into giggles as Clint fell over himself trying to signal for the check.  Being traditional wasn’t so bad, but being unpredictable was always better.


	5. Steve/Peggy

                “Miss Peggy?  I’m sorry to disturb you, but you have a visitor.”

                The elderly woman rolled over in her bed, only to freeze when she saw the tall, blonde, handsome young man standing behind the nurse, his bright blue eyes shining with tears and a bouquet of white roses in his arms.  No.  This was impossible.  He couldn’t be here, he was dead.  She’d buried him years ago, she and Howard. 

                But then he said her name, in that soft, tentative voice that always made her melt inside.  “Peggy?”

                “Oh my God,” she breathed.  Her old eyes started to well up.  “Steve.”

                Steve pushed past the nurse, dropping the flowers onto the table by her bedside, and kneeled down so that he could look her in the eye.  Without thinking, she reached for him, and he immediately clasped her to him, gently, but firmly.  She could hear the sob in his voice.  “Peggy, oh God, Peggy, thank God it’s you, you’re still here, I didn’t miss you-“

                She heard herself sobbing as though from a distance, and all she could feel was Steve, holding her tightly like she’d imagined for so long, just like she’d remembered.  Memories came flooding back like a tidal wave, and years of repressed feelings, a love she thought she’d left behind the day she said her wedding vows, came flooding back to the surface.  For the longest time, they just held onto each other, trying not to drown in their tears, in the memories, using each other as an anchor so that they would not forget that this wasn’t a memory—this was real.

                After an eternity, Steve eased her back into her bed, and she stared up at him, eyes wide, taking in as many details as she could.  He hadn’t changed one tiny little bit—after seventy years, he looked exactly the same.  She’d heard about Captain America’s return, but she’d assumed it was someone else, someone new that they’d talked into following in Steve’s footsteps.  To see him here, before her, to know that Nicholas had not lied when he’d told her that Captain America really was back, was overwhelming…and confusing.  “How-how is this possible?”

  
                Steve instantly knew what she meant. “I fell asleep, Peggy.  I survived the crash, and I froze solid.  SHIELD found me and defrosted me.”  He frowned.  “They tried to explain it to me once, but I didn’t understand any of it.  All I got from what they said was that I was preserved, kept from aging.  It’s why I look the same.”

                Peggy’s lips twisted into a wry smile.  “I must look horrid to you.”  Steve’s mouth opened in immediate protest, but Peggy held up a hand.  “Steven, I’m over ninety years old.  There is absolutely no way I look like the young woman you knew during the war.”

                Steve blinked for a moment, and then laughed before gently taking her hand.  “Peggy, I knew when I came here that you wouldn’t look the same.  I had Fury show me a picture of you months ago.”  He smiled, that big, bright, wonderful smile that had lit up her day even when the war seemed darkest.  “And I must say that you are one good-looking old dame.”

                Peggy felt herself blushing.  “Oh, hush.  You’re just saying that.”

                “I mean it, Peggy.  You’re still beautiful to me.”  And God bless him, Steve meant every word he was saying.  She remembered that earnest tone of voice, so honest and sweet.  She could never say no to that voice.

                “I never forgot you,” she blurted out, shocking them both.  “Even after I got married, I would still think of you sometimes.  How life would have been, if we-” She felt the tears threatening to come a second time.

                Steve immediately reached over to hug her again, stroking her hair and squeezing her hand softly.  “Shh, Peggy, it’s fine.  I’m happy you didn’t spend the rest of your life waiting for me.  If you had…I don’t think I could bear it if I knew you’d wasted yourself like that.”

                Peggy’s relief was instantaneous.  “Oh, Steve, I don’t deserve you.  I don’t deserve to get to see you again like this.”  Abruptly, she frowned.  “Steve…why are you here?  Why today?”  It was strange, that Captain America had been back for some time now, but Steve was only now coming to visit her.

                Steve blushed, looking a bit ashamed.  “I tried to come sooner…God only knows I tried.  But Fury wouldn’t let me.  However,” he helped her ease up to a sitting position before grabbing the roses and handing them to her with a flourish, smiling again.  “He couldn’t say no to letting me spend Valentine’s Day with you.”

                Peggy cradled the flowers, looking up at him in slight amusement.  Only Steve.  “Today’s Valentine’s Day?”  
                Steve nodded happily.  “Yes.  Happy Valentine’s Day, Peggy.”

                They spent the rest of the day simply talking—they did have over seventy years to catch up on.  Steve smiled when Peggy told him about her family, and Peggy laughed harder than she had in ages when Steve told her about his trials in adapting to the modern world.  Steve listened with rapt attention, mouth slightly agape, as she told him the story of SHIELD’s founding from the ashes of the SSR, and she gasped several times during Steve’s story of how the Avengers came to be.   More than once, though, Peggy found herself simply sitting there, basking in Steve’s presence.  She was just so happy to see him again, to have him beside her even if it was only for a day.

                When at last the time came for Steve to leave, Peggy was exhausted and more than ready to sleep.  Steve, angel that he was, tucked her in and pressed a kiss to her forehead once she was settled.  He rose to go, eyes shining with adoration.  “I love you, Peggy.  I’m glad I finally got the chance to tell you that.”

                “I love you too, Steve,” she said, struggling to stay conscious.  She had to say this now, in case she never got the chance to again.  She’d had more than her fill of regrets with regards to Steve.  “And you have no idea what it means to me that I finally got to tell you that.”

                The last thing she saw before she fell asleep was Steve’s smile.  “I know what you mean, Peggy.  I know what you mean.”


	6. Loki/Natasha

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Plus 1 Time an Avenger Got Surprised

                Natasha hated surprises. So when the receptionist at her five-star hotel in Paris informed her she’d been upgraded to the penthouse suite, when her briefing packet had clearly stated she was in a room on the first floor, she was not happy.

                Someone had changed her reservation without telling her. Which meant they weren’t SHIELD, and more than likely they were waiting for her upstairs. Damn. 

                On the elevator ride up to the penthouse floor, she assembled two of the ceramic knives she’d hidden in her toiletry kit. This was what happened when Fury insisted she fly commercial. Quickly sliding the knives into the pockets of her coat, she waited until the elevator came to a halt.

                The doors slid open, revealing a pitch-black room. The only source of light came from what she assumed to be the windows; it looked as though someone had shut the curtains. Natasha waited a heartbeat before stepping out of the elevator. The doors immediately shut behind her, cutting off any quick escape. 

                Cautiously setting her luggage against the wall, she took the knives from her pockets before shucking the coat for greater mobility. Holding the blades at the ready, she cautiously ventured a few steps further into the room, her eyes slowly adjusting to the darkness. Every one of her senses was on high alert.

                There. Movement, behind her. She whirled, flinging the knife in her right hand before switching the one in her left hand to the right. The first knife thudded into the wall and she spun back, stabbing the second knife upwards. A cold hand caught her wrist in a viselike grip and twisted, the knife falling from her hand as she was spun around and her arm was wrenched behind her back. She shoved her free elbow back hard and grinned in satisfaction as it impacted something solid, causing an exhale of air above her head. The grip on her arm loosened enough that she could slip free and she dove for the knife. 

                She grabbed it just as her other knife de-embedded itself from the wall and flew over her head. She rolled over as a dark form landed on top of her legs, pinning them to the ground. Using her free hand to brace herself, Natasha pushed up into a sitting position, knife extended. The blade halted against tender skin as her other knife was pressed against her neck.

                A murmured incantation caused the room to be bathed in a warm, almost candlelit glow. Natasha blinked, letting her eyes readjust.

                Loki smirked down at her. “Not bad. I think you’ve improved since the last time we did this.” 

                She raised an eyebrow in response. “I thought we agreed we weren’t going to do this anymore.”

                His bright green eyes sparkled in amusement. “Oh, but you are simply delightful when you’re caught off guard, my dear.” He lowered the knife in his hand, and she only copied the motion once he set it on the ground next to them. Though they’d been…meeting like this for a while, she knew better than to trust him. He climbed off of her and extended a hand. She took it and allowed him to pull her to her feet. 

                She looked around the room. The source of light Loki conjured was, in fact, candlelight: two lit candelabras sat atop the table by the kitchenette, framing a beautiful crystal vase with a bouquet of red roses inside. A bottle of red wine sat in a bucket of ice on one end of the table. Rose petals were scattered across the white tablecloth, trailing down onto the floor and forming a path of sorts—one that lead directly through the open door of the bedroom and straight up the bed itself. From where she stood, the petals scattered across the white sheets looked like drops of blood.

                “And I think you need to learn that not all surprises are bad.” Loki’s voice in her ear was low and seductive. His arms snaked around her waist, pulling her back against his chest. “Some can be quite…enjoyable.”

                Natasha remained stiff and irritated against him. “What do you want, Loki?”

                He sighed. “Is it so hard to believe I merely seek the pleasure of your company? I was under the impression that it is Midgardian tradition to spend this night with one’s lover.”

                She turned in his arms, resting her hands on his chest. “You want to celebrate Valentine’s Day,” she said skeptically, eyes searching his face. “With me.” This was…somewhat uncharacteristic of him. Sentimentality was not exactly something he was fond of. Although he did seem to enjoy Midgardian holidays, if only as an excuse to cause mischief (SHIELD was still recovering from last year’s April Fool’s Day).

                Now it was Loki’s turn to raise an eyebrow. “We are lovers, are we not?”

                Natasha blinked once, the only outward manifestation of her unease. “That depends on your definition of a lover.” And she’d never wanted to define whatever this…thing was between herself and the Trickster. That way laid dragons, and the Black Widow wasn’t quite ready to face them yet.

                Loki’s eyes never left hers as his hands deftly untucked her blouse from her skirt. She fought back a shudder at the sensation of his fingertips brushing her skin. “A lover is someone who shares your bed.” His fingers slid out from beneath her blouse and began unbuttoning it, working from the bottom up. She gripped the edges of his overcoat, her nails digging into the leather. “Someone in whose body you take pleasure.” Natasha sucked in a breath when his hands brushed over her breasts. “And who takes pleasure from your body in return.” Loki undid the last button and parted the fabric to reveal her black lace bra. His eyes flicked down appreciatively before returning to her face. “But you think there is more, don’t you, Natasha?”

                She fought to keep her voice steady as he slowly edged her blouse off of her shoulders. “I’ve always believed that for someone to be considered your lover there had to be an emotional connection involved.” She let her arms drop from his chest so she could shrug the blouse off, letting it fall on the floor behind her.

                He put an arm back around her waist, fingering the zipper on her skirt. “And you don’t feel anything for me.”

                Natasha looked at the floor. “No.”

                Loki took hold of her chin, gently, but firmly, and forced her to look at him. “Liar.”

                She had lied to him, before. Sometimes she wondered if that was why he’d started their liaison; she knew it bothered him to no end that a mortal could deceive the God of Lies. If she wanted to, she’s sure she still could.

                But not like this. Not almost half-naked with his arms around her. Not with him looking at her with some unfathomable emotion she could not name. Like this, she knew she couldn’t. Nor did she want to. “Yes.”

                She saw the kiss coming, but what caught her off guard was how tender it was, though no less passionate than their usual embraces. The wine on the table was quickly forgotten, though the path of rose petals was helpful in guiding them to the bedroom, distracted as they were with removing each other’s clothes.

                Hours later, as he traced what she now understood to be Asgardian runes on her back, she felt the need to explain. “I don’t love you,” she said softly. She felt his hand still on her skin. “But,” she hesitated for a moment before forcing herself to continue. “There is…something.”

                She felt his lips press gently against her shoulder. “I don’t love you either, little spider.” 

                She raised her head to look at him. “Then why-?”

                He silenced her with a cold finger against her lips. His smile was mischievous, but that same strange emotion shone in his eyes. “But there is…something.”

                Natasha hated surprises, but as Loki drew her head down to his for a kiss, she realized that being the Trickster God’s lover meant she was going to have to get used to the unexpected.


End file.
